The invention pertains to a contactor actuatable by a magnetic field as well as to a switch comprising this contactor.
Contactors that can be actuated by a magnetic field are also called Reed switches.
Prior-art contactors comprise at least one first strip and one second strip made out of magnetic material extending along a longitudinal direction:
the first strip comprising at least one pad having a contact face F1i,
the second strip having at least one pad P2i facing the pad P1i and having a contact face F2i, the pads P1i and P2i facing each other when the intersection of the face F2i and of the projection in a transversal direction, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, of the face F1i on the face F2i forms an overlap zone Zi, the surface area Szi of which is strictly greater than zero,
at least one pad of each pair of pads P1i, P2i facing each other being capable of being shifted along the transversal direction, under the effect of the magnetic field, between:                a closed position in which the faces F1i and F2i are directly in mechanical contact with each other to enable the passage of a current, and        
an open position in which the faces F1i and F2i are separated from each other by an air gap so as to be electrically insulated from each other.
When at least one of the pads is in the closed position, the contactor is said to be in the closed position. The contactor is in the open position when all the pads are in the open position.